Candy Cane Kisses - A Christmas Collection

Christmas Spirit

by liliancarmine

A short Christmas story for RomanceSparks

"Run, Holly, run!" I mumbled to myself as I ran past empty booths and closed gift shops, wheeling my suitcase with one hand and clutching at my purse with the other, while having a pile of bags and gift boxes under both arms. My golden bell earrings jingled merrily with each hurried step I took, along with the click-clack of my shoes echoing loudly throughout the empty station.

I was running late. Quite literally, since I was running and I was indeed very late.

Well, I was trying to run anyway, or at least as much as my ruby slippers allowed me to. I had gotten out of my part-time internship late in the evening and didn't have time to change clothes, so I just grabbed my bags at my dorm in Unter-Welt and left to the train station as fast as I could.

Now I was trying to run in these shoes which were most certainly not made for running, and my candy-cane adorned pencil skirt wasn't helping mobility matters much either. At least I had my favorite and most festive sweater on, the one I loved it to pieces. It was warm and comfortable, bright red with big golden cursive lettering written 'jingle all the way!' up front. I also had my new wreath bracelet on my wrist, with Christmas ornament pendants clinking against each other as I ran ahead. Some could say I was overdoing it with my Christmas attire, but I'd like to think it was the jolliest and most fabulous outfit you'll ever see, thank you very much.

I tightened my grip on my suitcase and bags and fastened my pace. I couldn't afford to lose this train. The ticket was given to me by my parents, since I couldn't afford anything with my lousy intern's salary which only covered mostly just food and rent (I shouldn't complain though, some internships didn't even get pay at all).

Money wasn't the only reason why I couldn't lose this train though. The main reason was because this was the last departure to Greenwood. If I wanted to make it in time for Christmas with my parents tomorrow, this was my last chance. There wasn't going to be any trains tomorrow, the station was going to be closed for the entire day. If I lost the train now, there was only the cab fare option and my parents weren't millionaires to afford that, so, I had to get on this train. It was now or never.

That was why I was running like a maniac through the station, the wheels on my suitcase screaming in protest and the bags under my arms threatening to slip and fall as I jogged ahead. I was about to reach a corner to get to the platform where I was supposed to board, when the strap of one of my bags snapped, making the dozens of small boxes tumble out and spread all over the floor. I cursed under my breath and decided that I had a train to get, there was really no time to gather anything now.

I left my ruined bag and its contents behind and sped ahead, almost knocking over a guy who was passing by me. A few more boxes fell off from under my arms with my abrupt stop, and the guy glanced curiously at the mess I had made on the floor. He was about to say something but I did not have time for this, so I just replied a 'sorry! There's no time!' with a crazed apologetic weak smile, before I ran away.

I turned the corner and skidded into a halt, right into an empty platform.

There was no one there. No people. No train. No nothing.

Damn it! The train had left.

I was too late and all that running had been for nothing.